Last year I posted my summer salad. Had no idea what a popular recipe it would become! In that light I guess it only makes sense for me to post an autumn salad as well. I labeled this one: “My new best salad” because I’m totally smitten with it. Not sure what that says about me. Maybe something about my unhealthy relationship with food? Hush. It was a rhetoric question.

If you’re anything like me, you’ll want to eat this one over and over. Serve it on the side or as an appetizer during Thanksgiving or Christmas, or throw in some rustic whole wheat bread for a seriously amazing lunch or dinner.

Combine the mayonnaise (the real deal, Hellmann’s) with the yoghurt. Sure you could use sour cream instead, but give yoghurt a try sometime. Much more diet friendly and it tastes just as good.

Grate a small piece of onion. Don’t overdo it, use only half a tsp or so. Alternately you could use onion powder as well but this really adds flavor and zing. And grate half a garlic clove.

Add the apple juice, a splash of fresh lemon juice and a good pinch of salt and pepper.

Finely mince a handful of flat-leaf parsley.

Combine it all, stir well and check the seasoning. Refrigerate until you need it.

I usually grab a big bag of mixed salad leaves. Feel free to use lettuce instead.

Grate the carrot and thinly slice the red onion.

My salads almost always contain avocado. I love avocado. Avocado and bacon are a match made in heaven, so feel free to add a few bacon strips to the salad.

Granny smith apples work so well in this salad. But you can easily do this with pear as well, it creates a just as tasty but slightly different dimension.

Squeeze a little lemon juice over the apple and avocado to prevent it from turning brown. Break the walnuts in half or chop them up.

Thinly slice the smoked chicken breast.

You can make one big salad but I kinda like making individual portions in cute bowls. I serve the dressing on the side—not everyone likes dressing—but you could drizzle some on top or toss the salad leaves with the dressing.

Now this salad is really all that and a bag of Doritos. Take my word for it.

Combine the mayonnaise with the yoghurt, grate 1/2 a tsp onion and 1/2 a garlic clove in there. Add the apple juice, a splash of fresh lemon juice and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Finely mince a small handful flat-leaf parsley and combine everything.

Grate the carrot and thinly slice the red onion, smoked chicken breasts, avocado and apple. Break the walnuts in half or give them a coarse chop. Squeeze a little lemon juice over the apples and avocado.

Industrial mayonnaise? Go wash your mouth! :-)The only good-tasting mayonnaise is the one you beat by hand using fresh eggs! ;-)
To tell the truth, I have a particular relationship to mayonnaise. I once made a three-egg mayonnaise, which separated. So with another yolk, and a bit of lukewarm water, I restarted. And it separated, again and again. I ended up with an eight-egg mayonnaise, and promised myself to never more make my own mayonnaise.

Oh loving it!
My 2 year old LOVES avocado and salad leaves so this will be our “summer” salad down here in the Southern Hemisphere.
Silly question: What is the name of the really little grater you use to grate the garlic – I want to put it on my Christmas list.

i can see that u really like avocado..i ve never thought that u can put it in a sandwhich but u always do. i’ve been reading your blog for several months now. I love your pictures! the food looks even more delicious because of the photography! In the philippines, we only eat avocado as kind of a desert. chop it in chunks, put condense milk/sugar and crushed ice. mix everything in a bowl and tada! summer in a bowl